DeepSearch: Your Autonomous Research Agent

Beyond a Single Answer

Standard Grok queries are fast: you ask, Grok answers in a few seconds, drawing from live X posts and web results. DeepSearch is different. When you activate it, Grok does not give a quick answer. Instead, it behaves like an autonomous research assistant: it breaks your question into sub-queries, retrieves results from each one, evaluates what it finds, generates follow-up queries based on what it learned, and keeps iterating until it has enough to write a comprehensive report.

This takes 30 to 120 seconds. The result is not a conversational response — it is a structured document with multiple sections and citations throughout, with a depth that a single-step query cannot match.

How to Activate DeepSearch

DeepSearch is a SuperGrok feature, included in the $30/month plan. Once you have a SuperGrok subscription, a DeepSearch button appears near the chat input on grok.com and in the mobile app. Click it before sending your query. A progress indicator shows Grok working through its research stages in real time — you can watch it formulate and run each sub-query as the research unfolds.

Writing Good DeepSearch Queries

Because DeepSearch expands your question into multiple sub-queries, the most effective prompts are open research questions rather than simple factual lookups:

Good for DeepSearch:

• "What are the main approaches to [topic], and what are the tradeoffs between them?"
• "Give me a comprehensive overview of the current state of [industry or field]"
• "Compare [option A] and [option B] across performance, cost, and ease of use"
• "What are the key open problems in [research area] as of 2026?"

Not worth activating DeepSearch for:

• "Who won the championship last week?" — a factual answer a standard query handles instantly
• "Write me a short email" — a generation task, not a research task
• "What is the capital of France?" — a stable fact that needs no multi-step retrieval

Reading the Output

DeepSearch reports include section headings, bullet points, and inline numbered citations. Each citation links to a source page or X post. The report typically begins with a summary and expands into labelled sections — structured more like a research brief than a chat message. For longer reports, scan the section headings first to orient yourself before reading in depth.

The inline citations are the most important part of the output. Unlike standard Grok responses where sources are displayed as cards below the text, DeepSearch embeds numbered references inline with each claim — so you can see exactly which source supports which statement. This makes verification fast and specific.

Limitations to Know

DeepSearch is thorough but not infallible. It works best on publicly available information and may miss sources behind paywalls. Very recent events (under a few hours old) may have limited coverage. For high-stakes decisions, verify the key claims against the cited sources — the inline citations are there specifically to make this easy.

DeepSearch also does not replace human judgment on complex analysis. It is a research tool that surfaces relevant information and synthesises it. The interpretation of what that information means for your specific situation is still yours to make.

Try This

Activate DeepSearch and ask: What is the current state of [a topic relevant to your work or interests]? Cover the main developments, open questions, and key players. Watch the progress indicator as Grok researches. When the report arrives, click three of its inline citations and verify the claims they support. Then run the same question as a standard query — no DeepSearch — and compare the depth of the two responses side by side.